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Last November, in a moment of weakness, I promised a piece to the local Habitat for Humanity for a fundraiser. The deal is that artists can have $20 worth of stuff from the ‘ReStore’. The artist is to use this material to create an ‘artpiece’ and then donate it to the local Habitat for Humanity fundraising art auction.I knew that Jan and Feb would be crazy busy … and they have been. And yet I’ve been really wanting to try working with wire.I succeeded in finding a reel of fine, supple green coated wire at the Habitat Re-Store. This week I’ve set down to try to do some sprang.I did a quick little first piece to determine how long, how wide.

Test piece

I then launched into a piece I thought I’d mount as art. I was not pleased with the results.

Not as pleasing as I'd hoped

So now I’m onto my third attempt.I went back to the Re-Store and purchased some ‘bling’ as I still had $11 remaining of that initial $20 credit.I also added some copper wire.Here it is in progress

Third green wire sprang art piece

And here’s the finished piece

completed 'Sprang Fence'

I wanted to make some statement that the textile technique known as ‘sprang’ is akin to what we all know as ‘chain link fence’. I stretched the sprang between two knitting needles. These endposts were affixed to the background (a cabinet door from the ReStore) with screw-in eyelets.The art auction will be held at the Habitat for Humanity ‘ReStore’ or Archibald Street in Winnipeg starting on Thursday. Bids must be in by Saturday afternoon.